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What Could Go Wrong?
It finally made it!. Spring is here. At least that's what the calendar tells me. The days are getting longer. The flowers are actually starting to show signs of life. Here in Seattle, there's been a rumor of a bright orange disk peeking out from behind our ceiling of gray. Some say it's the sun, but I'm skeptical; it didn't last long enough to be certain. But with spring here, what could possibly go wrong? - Oh yeah- TAXES! They tell me I should be proud to pay my taxes. It's the price we pay for living in this great country. But really, couldn't we all be just as proud at half the price?
Tax the wallet - Tax the body - Tax the brain
For sonographers, the job can be the most taxing issue of all. When performed incorrectly, scanning taxes the body to the extreme. We discovered that when more than 3000 of you responded to our injury survey. This issue will discuss the neck, which was second only to the shoulder in the number of injuries. So when another sonographer tells you his or her job is a pain in the neck - believe it. |
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Don't stick your neck out!
The neck is one of the areas of the body with the highest rate of injury among sonographers. Neck pain is caused by inappropriate positioning of the ultrasound system monitor, the PACS system monitor or the reporting computer monitor.
Too often sonographers fail to optimize the position of the ultrasound monitor, which forces them to twist their neck, or to use too much neck extension, to view images during the exam. In addition, adjusting the ancillary equipment in the exam room is equally important. Exam tables that are not height adjustable force the sonographer into unnatural postures that can put significant strain on the cervical and thoracic spines.
The ultrasound exam room is only one part of a sonographer's work environment. After completion of the exam, sonographers often review images on the PACs workstation and input report data on the workflow computer. These workstations should also have multiple adjustable components, especially if they are used by a number of different workers. Height adjustable desks and chairs should be considered, which allow different users to optimize their work postures
Computer monitors should be positioned so that your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. Your head should be in a neutral position with no more than 17 degrees of forward flexion. Any time you change your position with respect to the ultrasound system or other computers, you should reposition the monitor. Consider mounting the computer monitor on an articulated arm. Not only does this allow you to quickly and easily optimize the monitor position, it also increases your usable work space. It also allows you to position paperwork in front of you and directly below your line of sight. In work environments where the computers and ultrasound systems are used by multiple workers, height adjustable chairs should be available. When people are seated, there is much less anthropometric difference between them. Thus by adjusting the chair height, workers can obtain a more neutral neck posture even if the adjustability of the monitor is limited.
It is also important to keep the ultrasound and computer monitors directly in front of you to minimize neck twist. This means that you should not share the ultrasound monitor with your patients. To allow the patients to view their exams, you can mount an auxiliary monitor on the wall at the foot of exam table. The PACs and computer monitors should also be placed directly in front of you and not off to one side. Often, workers place the computer monitor off to the side in order to use the space in front of them for paperwork. Again, this problem can be solved through the use of a monitor arm.
Take the time to make it right!
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Answer this!
We decided to make S'Ergo News a little more interactive. So, in each new issue we will have a little pop quiz and award a prize.
This issue's question is: According to the 2008 Symptom Survey, neck injuries ranked second highest. What was the percentage?
The answer can be found somewhere on our website. www.soundergonomics.com When you find the answer, email it to us at answers@soundergonomics.com . We will select a winner from all the correct answers and send that person a Sound Ergonomics cable brace. | |
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Join our forum
This is your place for information. Join your colleagues in discussions about ergonomic issues. Share questions, ideas, problems or success stories.
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Seminars
on
Ergonomics
Planning a conference or continuing education program?
Sonographer ergonomics is a topic that increases registration at meetings.
According to surveys, the most sought-after topics for continuing education among health professionals are lectures on occupational injury. Sound Ergonomics addresses the incidence of occupational injury in allied health and diagnostic imaging. It is our goal to reduce the rate of occupational injury through education and training. We realize that the causes of work-related injury are multifaceted, however, work safety education in ergonomics empowers professionals with the ability to control their risk for injury. Sound Ergonomics Consultants are available for lecture and/or to provide hands-on training in ergonomics for your conference attendees. Full or half day tutorials are possible, as well as 30-minute and 50-minute lectures. Programs are CME eligible.
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